Conor McGregor loses huge $500,000 bet on Francis Ngannou's MMA fight

McGregor backed Ngannou's hostile Renan Ferreira to triumph by knockout - and stood to triumph astir $1.7million if the Brazilian did conscionable that

Conor McGregor mislaid $500,000 aft backing Francis Ngannou to suffer by knockout connected his instrumentality to the cage.

Ngannou was competing successful MMA for the archetypal clip successful astir 3 years erstwhile helium took connected PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira successful Riyadh connected Saturday night. And McGregor, who himself has not fought for implicit 3 years, took to societal media earlier the combat started to boast of backing Ferreira to the tune of fractional a cardinal dollars.

McGregor had said erstwhile posting his bet: "Hello, folks, The Notorious Conor McGregor here. Fight night, combat night, combat night... the Mac is backmost with his winning bets. I person a 100 per cent winning ratio connected these bet. Ngannou is losing by KO tonight. 12/5 the Brazilian is to sound him retired and I’m putting fractional a cardinal connected it and I’m going to triumph backmost $1.7million. That’s it. It’s a ruthless concern and I’m a ruthless man."

But Ngannou needed little than 4 minutes to KO Ferreira, taking the combat to the crushed and finishing it with a barrage of blows to permission the referee with nary accidental but to measurement successful and prevention the Brazilian from further punishment. McGregor took to societal media to respond to his loss, saying: "The affluent get richer, I'll get that back."

McGregor precocious celebrated a spate of winning bets, winning implicit $8m successful a azygous week implicit the summertime erstwhile helium backed Spain to triumph Euro 2024. The Spaniards' triumph implicit England successful the last won the erstwhile two-weight UFC champion $1m portion Argentina's triumph implicit Colombia successful the Copa America last netted him $365,000.

And an unthinkable treble of those 2 teams to win, and Carlos Alcaraz to assistance the Wimbledon trophy saw him slope $4m. Finally, McGregor backed aged rival Nate Diaz to bushed Jorge Masvidal successful their boxing fight, which helium duly did to nett the Dubliner $1.6m. And earlier this month, McGregor won $200,000 from a $1m stake connected UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereria who stopped Khalil Rountree to clasp his belt.

McGregor possibly took the presumption that Ngannou would conflict from ringing rust successful his archetypal MMA combat since helium defended his UFC heavyweight rubric against Ciryl Gane successful 2022, and opted to power to the boxing ringing wherever helium was edged retired by Tyson Fury and past blasted retired by Anthony Joshua.

McGregor, meanwhile, volition beryllium closing successful connected 4 years without a combat by the clip helium makes his anticipated instrumentality to the UFC adjacent year. He had been owed to instrumentality connected Michael Chandler this summertime but pulled retired with a breached toed conscionable 2 weeks earlier the bout successful Las Vegas.

Chandler mislaid patience with the hold successful rescheduling the bout and volition alternatively rematch Charles Oliveira successful New York astatine UFC 309 adjacent month. McGregor claimed past play that helium would alternatively instrumentality against Dan Hooker successful Saudi Arabia successful February but nary woody has been struck.